Tommy Hilfiger on His Lifetime Achievement Award

When Tommy Hilfiger received an email from Diane von Furstenberg last week letting him know he would be receiving a lifetime achievement award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America, he was already in the midst of a new endeavor.

Mr. Hilfiger recently became an image adviser for finalists on “American Idol.” He’s been in Los Angeles mentoring contestants to sharpen their performance identifies and guide them on style as they fight to become the next Idol.

“I’m honored and grateful and appreciative” about the award, he said from Los Angeles via phone Monday. “But I’m still in a little bit of shock. Maybe I think other people deserve it. Or maybe I think this is for when I’m 70.” (Mr. Hilfiger is 60.) “Don’t they give lifetime achievement awards to people who achieved a lifetime of success? I’m still working on it.”

Mr. Hilfiger has been at the center of his fashion company since its inception in 1985 and indeed shows no signs of slowing down. In addition to serving as visionary and principal designer for his label, and now, an adviser on “American Idol,” he became an investor in and business consultant with Belstaff, a British brand renowned for its motorcycle jackets (famously worn by Steve McQueen) last year. The designer, through a charity, also served as co-chairman of the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr., National Memorial, a project for which his foundation donated more than $6 million, last year. He stars in ads for Macy’s, where he sells his commercial line (as opposed to his runway line) exclusively.

Ms. von Furstenberg, president of the CFDA, told Mr. Hilfiger the council will give him its Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award, during a ceremony on June 4, at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. Marc Jacobs received the honor last year. Though Mr. Jacobs was 48-years-old, young for a “lifetime achievement” award, “I would say Marc is a special breed and he has achieved so much in such a short amount of time,” Mr. Hilfiger said.

Tommy Hilfiger launched his eponymous label in 1985 with a bold billboard in New York’s Times Square that posited him as one of four great American designers. (The others were already legends: Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Perry Ellis.) With its popular colorful, preppy aesthetic, Tommy Hilfiger was one of the hottest American brands in the 1990s. At its peak, the company, acquired in 2010 by apparel giant Phillips-Van Heusen Corp., generated nearly $2 billion in annual sales in the U.S. But overexposure and changing tastes caused its popularity to wane considerably in the U.S. Its red, white and blue, logo-heavy look was seen as outdated. The label took a two-year hiatus from the New York fashion week runways in 2005 as it repositioned itself in the U.S. Meanwhile, the brand thrived in Europe, where it had a more upscale reputation and look.

The runway collection label has been regaining traction with the fashion community in the U.S., with a combination of quirky print and television ads and the hiring, in 2009, of Peter Som to consult on his women’s line and of Simon Spurr, the following year, on his men’s line. The hires and ads were part of Mr. Hilfiger’s broader effort to refresh his label’s image in the U.S., particularly among luxury consumers.High-end shoppers and fashion critics have taken notice: the label’s runway fare has received some of its most enthusiastic responses from consumers and critics in years.

The award is another sign that Mr. Hilfiger is enjoying something of a renaissance. The designer said he hasn’t yet given much thought to his speech. “I’ll probably think of that the afternoon before. I have to give it some thought. I’ve learned if you begin to thank specific people you always leave people out for sure. I know one thing. I have to thank my incredible team. I really believe no man is an island. You really need an amazing team to be successful in anything you do in life.”

The designer has long been plugged into the music world, dressing music stars for tours or events and casting them in campaigns way before it was in vogue. So “American Idol,” he said, made sense when the show reached out to him. “I thought it would be a new challenge and allow me to use my experience in fashion and in music. I advise the contestants on what to wear and what not to wear. They don’t have to follow my lead. Hopefully I’m enhancing their image as they perform. Many of them are so focused on their music, fashion isn’t top of mind for them. I think I can be of some help.”

Mr. Hilfiger started his line with menswear, eventually expanding into women’s. He still pays attention to what others in menswear are doing and is happy with what he sees. “Menswear has evolved tremendously over the years,” he said. “It’s very exciting at this moment in time. Men feel less afraid to wear fashion. They’re more intrigued with new styles, new colors, new fabrics, grooming products and accessories. Menswear is in a really great place.”

The designer added, “of course we take our lead from the women, who are great style arbiters,” demonstrating that he will likely have no problem giving credit where it’s due in his CFDA speech.